Chapter 4 Bad News

Samuel noticed Jessica and Cindy, and his eyes lit up. "If you can't pay up, then I'm taking them. You can have them back once your debt is settled. Don't worry, I'll be gentle when I am on them, hehehe."

He was reaching for Cindy, and Liam pounced on him, roaring, "Get away from my daughter! I'm the one you want, not her! If you want your money, take it from me!"

"You think this is a negotiation?" Samuel grabbed Liam's arm and pinned him against the ground.

Cindy lunged at him and tried to make him let her father go. "Let my dad go!"

That failed. Samuel could even reach out to her. "Come with me and do as I say, then I—"

Elijah stood in front of Cindy and Liam. "Let him go and get your ass out of here."

"Who the fuck are you, shithead? We're Bloodstride. No one messes with us here!" Samuel gave his men a look, and a pair of lackeys charged at Elijah.

"No, don't hurt Mr. Elijah! I'll give you the house as collateral!" Liam and his wife quickly shouted. They were worried about Elijah.

"Mr. Elijah?" The lackeys hesitated.

Samuel's eyes flickered. "And which family do you come from?" He was a veteran in this area of town. There were a lot of people in Riverbay he should never cross if he wanted to live.

"He used to be our pet, but we kicked him out," an icy voice said from the entrance.

Everyone turned around and saw an aloof and powerful woman coming in, escorted by a dozen bodyguards.

Samuel and the others were shocked. "M-Ms. Natalie, what brings you here?"

Natalie Summers was the head of Summer Group and the aloof goddess every man in Riverbay wanted to have. Three years ago, the leader of Samuel's gang demanded that Natalie sleep with him in three days, or he would destroy her company.

Two hours later, the same guy was kneeling before the Summers' abode, begging for forgiveness. That went on for three days, and the guy's knees were raw after that. No one knew the real story behind that incident, but no one would test the Summers just to find out.

"Nat," blurted Elijah.

Samuel and his lackeys were shocked. Sweat spilled like bullets from their foreheads. 'They're that close?'

Natalie looked at Elijah darkly. Icily, she said, "You have nothing to do with us anymore. Try to buddy up with me again and I'll make you regret it!"

Elijah shot her an equally icy look. "What are you here for?"

"Divorce papers and share transfer agreement. Sign them. Chop chop." Natalie didn't hide her disgust. She took the papers her bodyguard handed to her and tossed them toward Elijah. This divorce meant Elijah wouldn't get a single cent.

He would give all the shares Benjamin gifted to him to Natalie, free of charge. Elijah skimmed through the papers coolly and signed them without hesitation.

"At least you're not a total moron. My men would have broken you otherwise. Remember, if I find you dragging my family's name through the mud ever again, you'll find that this city has no place for you!" Natalie sneered at the agreements and left the house with her bodyguards, chest puffed out.

Elijah held up the horrified Liam. Quietly, he asked, "What happened, Liam?"

"You should stay out of this. I had cashflow problems, and the bank wouldn't approve my loan, so I sought Bloodstride's help. They set me up. The contract… including the interest, I have to pay them five times what I could've borrowed from the bank."

Elijah was moved. Even though Liam's family was in dire straits, they took him in without hesitation.

Samuel snickered. "Watch your tongue, Mr. Hudson. You signed the papers. The contract was clear for you to see." He then looked at Elijah mockingly. "Dear Mr. Elijah, are you still going to get in our way?" he said sardonically.

"Come with me." Elijah gave him a frosty glance and went outside.

Samuel's face fell. "What's that all about? I said nothing about you leaving!" As if on cue, his lackeys barreled toward Elijah, but then they felt their souls trembling from the pressure of the bloodlust coming from Elijah.

Elijah extended his arm and showed Samuel an old ring.

"What is this?" Samuel was stunned, but then he noticed the black tiger seal on the ring and the complex patterns around it. Then, his face turned into a mask of horror, and sweat poured like rain. "T-That's the token of the Black Tigers' leader. Y-You're the guy who took them out?"

Earlier in the morning, the Black Tigers, a gang on par with Team Luna and one that'd been established in Riverbay for more than twenty years, was destroyed. Their headquarters were razed to the ground. All its members, including its leader, Tigre Duncan, perished in battle.

The news shook the underworld and struck fear in the hearts of these never-do-wells. The best and brightest of them all were pulling all the strings to find out the mastermind behind the destruction. They didn't want to be next on the list.

But now that mastermind was right in front of Samuel.

…

Natalie went back home, cold and icy as ever. The look on her face was nothing short of chilly.

Selene frowned. "I thought you brought your bodyguards, Natalie. That scum refused to sign?"

Natalie sneered and shook her head. "He signed the papers, but guess what I found? The Hudsons took them in, and I think he has an affair with their daughter. Wonder when they hooked up."

Even though Natalie had no love or even an ounce of affection for Elijah, he was still her husband on paper. 'How dare he cheat on me! Me, of all people! I am the gods' gift to humanity! How dare someone try to steal my toy!'

Anger flashed in Selene's eyes. "What? That family's edging on bankruptcy, and their daughter stole something that belonged to you? How dare they! We can't let this slide! That little bitch knew he was married to you, and she still hooked up with him! And Liam took him in? They're trying to defy us!"

She added, "These idiots don't know what's good for them! We should push them over the edge, or else everyone's going to think we're a pushover!"

Natalie nodded. "Agreed. They got into some trouble with Bloodstride, and that worthless trash tried to meddle. He might die tonight."

Selene sneered. "After losing our support? He's dead meat."

They were about to wait and see, but Alicia had been listening in on the conversation outside, and she was as black as thunder. The girl marched out of the door. "I don't wait for revenge. No one insults my family. They're dead!"

Natalie's phone rang. "What?"

"Bad news, Ms. Natalie. Smoothcorp canceled the business deal. They've also announced a permanent blacklisting. We're getting no more deals from them."

"What?" Natalie's face fell.